By DUSTIN RACIOPPI
Fans of Red Bank’s only spot for brown rice sushi are about to get some elbow room.
Sogo Sushi, a takeout restaurant with just two tiny tables in its Monmouth Street space, is planning to bust through an interior wall to make room for seating and an expansion to the menu.
On Monday night, owner Irving Chen (right) won borough planning board approval for the plan.
After five years in business at 60 Monmouth, Chen says he’s expanding the business to offer other traditional Japanese items, such as tempura and teriyaki. He’s doing so by expanding into a space last held by Bath Junkie, which left town early this year.
“We’re putting in a dining area and a spot for tempura, and off we go,” architect Tony Bush Jr. said.
The expansion will not only give customers a place to sit and eat, but will afford Chen a chance to broaden his customer base with more offerings, he said.
The new space will feature a small kitchen and about 34 seats, Bush Jr. said. Work, Chen said, will begin “right away.”
